Stop Commuting, Start Computing!

For awhile now I've had friends ask me how I found the jobs I've found, how I earn Amazon gift cards and how they can get started working from home. To be completely transparent- at this time I'm struggling a little. The last job I took didn't provide the hours expected and it hurt me in the pocket pretty bad. Luckily, I've received an offer for a new job that will be a guaranteed full-time position, so I should be doing better soon.

I decided that it might be a good idea to compile some of my knowledge (which isn't expert by any means, just my experiences) so that when anyone asks me about working from home now I can point them straight to this link.

First, the "Why?"

Earning income from home is ideal for many people for various reasons. Are you a mom spending a huge chunk of your paycheck on daycare? Is there a strict dress code at your office and you're having to update your wardrobe far too often? Driving long distances to and from work costs you gas and wear and tear on your vehicle. Disabled? That's a huge reason to work from home.

Personally, I began to look into earning from home for two reasons: I wanted to be at home for my daughter and because my fibromyalgia and anxiety make it difficult for me to get out of the house sometimes.

Now, the "How?"

It's not just going to fall into your lap, most likely. I spent years looking into it before I finally caught my first employee position. Pinterest and Google were my tools for research. Searching terms like, "work from home mom", "WAHM" and "earning income from home" found me lots of great but sometimes confusing and too broad of results for what I was really needing. It was not all in vain, however, as that's how I began to do my "click to earn" stuff like Swagbucks, Clixsense, Bing Rewards and Screenwise Trends (now Crossmedia Panel).

I used the earnings from those as "extra cash" or used the gift cards earned for Christmas gifts. Helpful but not the income I needed.

I began to search a bit more detailed on both Google and Pinterest and came across Sykes one day. I had seen similar companies before, hiring customer support agents to work from home but many did not hire employees, instead you would be an independent contractor. That is fine for many but does come with the drawback of having to keep up with your taxes and not providing benefits as well as most of those companies did have a good bit of start-up cost and did not pay for training (some even requiring you to pay them to train you) and that just isn't an option for many people starting out!

My experience with Sykes was a good one and I do recommend applying with them. Different programs have different requirements but in general you will need a laptop or desktop computer, fairly new, a land line, Internet and headset. They do have part-time and full-time positions and pay for your training.

My next job was with Amazon Reserves. It started off okay in training but hours are first come, first serve and though upon my hiring I was told to expect full-time hours with a possibility of overtime around the holidays- it definitely was not the case. This would be a good job for just earning a little extra fun money but not one to rely on as a full time income.

The company I just got on with is Concentrix. This position is not one I found by simply googling or pinning. I found this one on careerbuilder.com. All of my interviews were great, the hiring manager was super nice and very informative. I'm quite excited to start this new position (which is actually more technical support than the general customer support that I've done in the past) and learn more and grow more.

All three of those companies you should definitely research for yourself and read reviews on sites such as GlassDoor before applying to be sure it is the right fit for you.

Indeed and CareerBuilder are the two sites I've used the most for job hunting. Here are some screenshots to show you how to get started on your search. If you do not already have a resume- make one. Your local workforce development office or unemployment office can help you with that usually.

Another way I've earned Amazon gift cards is through mturk. It's crowd sourcing, small tasks like surveys and transcription that pay from a cent up to a few dollars. You'll join with your Amazon account and once you get approved you can start doing HITS.

Swagbucks is the company I have been with the longest and earned the most through, probably. There are even groups on facebook to help you learn how to use it and if you join through my referral link and sign up under me, let me know if you need any help getting started- I would be happy to point you in the right direction.

I will probably be making some more detailed posts about the various aspects of working from home as well as more tips and links to some opportunities in the future but I do hope this helps you a little or gives you a good starting point for putting fewer miles on your vehicle and more cash in your pocket!

If this was helpful at all to you, or you think it could help someone else, please use the graphic below to Pin this post on Pinterest and use the small icons in the post footer to share to your social media! Thanks!

(And yes, the Swagbucks is my referral link and the Amazon gift cards at the top is an affiliate link, for disclosure.)